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{{Short description|Protected area in Himachal Pradesh, India}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary
| alt_name =
| iucn_category = IV
| iucn_ref =
| image =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| image_size =
| map = India Himachal Pradesh#India
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Location in Himachal Pradesh##Location in India
| map_width =
| relief = 1
| mapframe = Yes
| mapframe-zoom = 10
| location = Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh
| nearest_city = [[Shimla]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|31.450|N|76.905|E}}
| coords_ref =
| area = {{Convert|41.32|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
| elevation =
| established = 1962
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| governing_body = [[Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change]]
| url =
}}

The '''Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary''' is a [[nature reserve]] in [[Mandi district]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[India]], which covers {{Convert|41.32|km2}} and is located approximately seven kilometres from the town of [[Sundar Nagar]]. The sanctuary extends along the east and south sides of the Seri Khad stream. "Khad" is the [[Western Pahari|Himachali]] term for a stream that provides essential water sources for the sanctuary's plants and wildlife.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=5 October 2015 |title=Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary |url=https://wii.gov.in/eia/casestudies/mining_projects2_baseline_information6 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101152616/https://wii.gov.in/eia/casestudies/mining_projects2_baseline_information6 |archive-date=1 November 2023 |access-date=1 November 2023 |website=Wildlife Institute of India |language=en}}</ref>

The area is full of steep slopes, [[Grassland|grasslands]], and various [[Nullah|nullahs]]. The Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary is a habitat for a diverse range of plant and animal species.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bandli Sanctuary - One of the Most Beautiful Wildlife Sanctuary of Himachal Pradesh |url=https://www.exploreourindia.com/bandli-sanctuary |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=www.exploreourindia.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Fauna==

Seventy different [[bird]] species have been documented within the wildlife sanctuary.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=1) Paliwal 2) Sharief 3) Sidhu 4) Kubendran |first=1) Shivani 2) Amira 3) Avtar Kaur 4) T. |date=January 2019 |title=Species Diversity and Abundance of Avifauna in Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary, Mandi (Himachal Pradesh) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331837758 |journal=Zoology, Avifouna}}</ref> Notably, the sanctuary harbours the [[cheer pheasant]] (''Catreus wallichii''), a species classified as globally vulnerable<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-11-27 |title=Cheer pheasants flourishing in Bandli sanctuary |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/cheer-pheasants-flourishing-in-bandli-sanctuary/articleshow/10887199.cms |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0971-8257 |archive-date=2023-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003002503/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/cheer-pheasants-flourishing-in-bandli-sanctuary/articleshow/10887199.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> and categorized as a restricted-range species of the western [[Himalayas]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kaul |first1=Rahul |last2=Kalsi |first2=Rajiv S. |last3=Singh |first3=Randeep |last4=Basnet |first4=Hari |last5=Awan |first5=Muhammad Naeem |date=October 2022 |title=Cheer Pheasant (Catreus wallichii) and the Conservation Paradox: Importance of Unprotected Areas |journal=Diversity |language=en |volume=14 |issue=10 |pages=785 |doi=10.3390/d14100785 |issn=1424-2818 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The Sanctuary also supports populations of the [[Kalij pheasant]] (''Lophura leucomelanos''), [[Indian peafowl]] (''Pavo cristatus'') and the [[red junglefowl]] (''Gallus gallus''). Other avian species in the sanctuary include the [[Himalayan swiftlet]], [[long-tailed shrike]], [[blue-throated barbet]], [[red-billed blue magpie]], and [[fire-capped tit]].

In addition to its avian diversity, the sanctuary also serves as a habitat for a variety of mammals, including the [[snow leopard]], ''[[Goral]]'', [[Muntjac|barking deer]], [[Gray langur|Hanuman langur]], [[Bengal fox|Indian fox]], and [[Asian black bear|black bear]].

According to findings from a Cumulative Environmental Impact Assessment (CEIA), the Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the ten areas within the [[Sutlej|Sutlej basin]] and its tributaries that merit protection as a "no-hydro project zone" to safeguard fish fauna.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chauhan |first=Kuldeep |date=July 3, 2014 |title=Declare fish-rich areas as no-hydro project zone: CEIA report |work=The Tribune |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140704/himachal.htm#15 |access-date=September 20, 2023 |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102055342/https://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140704/himachal.htm#15 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Concerns==

In 2010, the [[Himachal Pradesh High Court]] nullified the environmental clearance granted to a cement plant in [[Sundar Nagar]], responding to local protests and concerns over the plant's proximity to Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary. However, during the Standing Committee meeting of the [[National Board for Wildlife|National Board for Wildlife (NBWL)]] in August 2014, a proposal was presented for the expansion of a cement plant at Bagga, [[Himachal Pradesh]]. The proposed site was 5.6 km from the boundary of the [[Majthal Sanctuary|Majathal Sanctuary]] and 9.9 km from the Bandli Sanctuary.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12–13 August 2014 |title=Minutes of the 31st Meeting of the Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife held on 12-13 August 2014 at Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, Jor Bag Road, New Delhi. |url=https://forestsclearance.nic.in/writereaddata/Order_and_Release/31.pdf |access-date=20 September 2023 |archive-date=10 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810121318/http://forestsclearance.nic.in/writereaddata/Order_and_Release/31.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The Standing Committee approved the proposal requiring that 2% of the project's expenses be set aside for mitigation efforts and the protection and supervision of the wildlife within the Protected Area.

Apart from meddling with the environment in and around the Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary, the areas also faces challenges from [[poaching]], particularly during the winter season,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chauhan |first=Kuldeep |title=Come winter season & poachers are on the prowl |work=The Tribune |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/himachaltribune/come-winter-season-poachers-are-on-the-prowl-712556 |access-date=2023-09-20 |archive-date=2023-11-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102055345/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/himachaltribune/come-winter-season-poachers-are-on-the-prowl-712556 |url-status=live }}</ref> and leopard attacks. There have been reports of leopard attacks in neighbouring areas of [[Sunder Nagar]] and [[Mandi, Himachal Pradesh|Mandi]], as well as sightings in nearby courtyards and colleges.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Deepak |date=2020-06-17 |title=Sundernagar: कमांद में आदमखोर तेंदुए ने दिनदहाड़े 2 लोगों पर किया हमला, गंभीर घायल |url=https://himachalabhiabhi.com/2-people-seriously-injured-due-to-leopard-attacked-in-sundernagar-district-mandi/ |access-date=2023-09-20 |website=Himachal Abhi Abhi |language=en-gb |archive-date=2023-11-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102055604/https://himachalabhiabhi.com/2-people-seriously-injured-due-to-leopard-attacked-in-sundernagar-district-mandi/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 27, 2021 |title=Mandi woman injured in leopard attack |work=The Tribune |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/mandi-woman-injured-in-leopard-attack-269519 |access-date=September 20, 2023 |archive-date=November 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102055342/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/mandi-woman-injured-in-leopard-attack-269519 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-31 |title=VIDEO: मंडी में घर के आंगन में दिनदिहाड़े घूमता दिखा तेंदुआ, लोगों के उड़े होश |url=https://hindi.news18.com/news/himachal-pradesh/mandi-sunder-nagar-leopard-viral-video-caught-in-cctv-while-wild-cat-walk-in-courtyard-6367769.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |website=News18 हिंदी |language=hi |archive-date=2023-11-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102055343/https://hindi.news18.com/news/himachal-pradesh/mandi-sunder-nagar-leopard-viral-video-caught-in-cctv-while-wild-cat-walk-in-courtyard-6367769.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}{{Protected areas of Himachal Pradesh}}
[[Category:Wildlife sanctuaries in Himachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Mandi district]]
[[Category:Geography of Mandi district]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1962]]
[[Category:1962 establishments in Himachal Pradesh]]

Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary - Revision history

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